


really you and really me

by ohmcgee



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Retail, Cotton Candy Fluff, Dogs, M/M, Petshop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 12:11:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6518812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmcgee/pseuds/ohmcgee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Dun dun dun,” Jason hums, barely even looking up from his phone when Bruce walks up to the counter. “Another one bites the dust.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	really you and really me

**Author's Note:**

> I have sat here for fifteen minutes straight and tried to remember HOW this even came into being and I just can't. Something about likewinning wanting Jason to have a dog and now there's 11,000 words and my teeth have all rotted out and WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE. Probably 0 people will read this, but if you're deranged like us and like petfic and kidfic with a side of hella porn and maybe a teeny weeny bit of angst on the side, put that in a blender with a rom com and that is what this, I guess. 
> 
> Fuck, I don't know.

Jason doesn’t even have to look up when hears the stupid bell jingle. It’s five o’clock on a Monday, so it’s either Roy coming to teach the parrot more filth before he takes him home or it’s the shitty dad who keeps killing his kid’s goldfish. There’s no one bellowing out his name or singing Bon Jovi so bad the ferrets start going nuts, so Jason assumes it’s the latter. 

“Dun dun dun,” Jason hums, barely even looking up from his phone when Bruce walks up to the counter. “Another one bites the dust.”

“Hilarious,” Bruce says drily and Jason looks up to smirk. He doesn’t know exactly what he does for a living, just that he always comes in after work, the knot in his tie looking a little worse for wear, one of those watches on his wrist that probably cost more than Jason’s car. 

“You’re awful,” Jason says, putting his phone down and grabbing a bag, walking over to the goldfish tank. “You do realize one of these days he’s going to notice.”

“He’s a highly intelligent child,” Bruce says. “But goldfish are not snowflakes. They all look the same.”

“To you,” Jason says. He wonders if this guy has ever actually had a pet of his own. One he didn’t let die in five days. “I’m telling you. He’s going to figure it out.”

“I suppose I’ll deal with that if it happens, then,” Bruce says. “My fish, please.”

“You know, I’m not supposed to say this,” Jason says when he takes his card. “But please don’t come again.”

At that, Bruce just _smiles_ at him and it’s like -- well, it’s kind of like looking into the sun, blinding and dangerous. “Thank you, Jason.”

Jason huffs and follows Bruce to the door, locking it behind him. 

What an asshole.

 

: : :

 

“I want a fucking dog,” Jason says that night while he listens to Roy get every fucking thing right on Jeopardy. “Fish are cool, I guess. But they don’t play fetch or roll around on the ground and slobber all over you.”

“Aww, _I’ll_ roll around on the ground and slobber all over you,” Roy says, grinning with ketchup all over his face, then looks back up when the guy who hit the buzzer says _What is potassium nitrate?_ “Seriously? Potassium _chloride_ you dumb fuck.”

Jason rolls his eyes. 

“Besides, you know we can’t have one,” Roy says, tongue darting out to lick the mess off his face. “You’re just torturing yourself working at that place.”

“I know,” Jason says, flopping back against the couch. “But I’m afraid if I quit Dick will set all the animals free.”

“He’s seen Madagascar too many times,” Roy nods. 

“We don’t even work at a fucking zoo,” Jason shakes his head. “Anyway, I’m going to bed. If you even think about touching that drumset tonight I’m shoving the sticks up your ass.”

“Ouch,” Roy says. “Somebody’s a grumpfuck.”

“Just beat,” Jason says, running his hand through his hair. “Had to stay late ‘cause the goldfish killer returned.”

“Ah,” Roy says. “Don’t see why he doesn’t just buy like, a whole tank and keep it in his basement so he can refill the fishbowl every time one goes belly up.”

“Or,” Jason says. “He could just learn to fucking _feed_ the thing once a day and maybe it would live longer than a week. I would actually pay to see the epic fit his brat throws when he learns out Goldie is actually Goldie 12.0”

Roy blurts out another answer, shrugs. “Maybe twelve time’s the charm?”

Jason snorts. Somehow, he really doubts that.

 

: : :

 

Usually, Jason can expect Bruce to come in every two weeks like clockwork. They don’t exact talk _much_ , but from what Jason has gathered from bits and pieces here and there, his kid is somewhere between eight and ten and he spends half the month with his mom, the other half with his dad. So while the kid’s gone, Bruce forgets to feed the fucking thing and the day before it’s his turn to have the kid again, there he is, back in the shop for a replacement. 

So he’s surprised when he sees Bruce a week later, his cheeks a little red from the freezing wind outside, all wrapped in a floor length black coat. And okay, it’s not like he hasn’t noticed the guy’s like _ridiculous_ attractive, but goddamn. 

“Uh-uh,” he says when Bruce approaches the counter. “It’s not time for you.”

“Time?” Bruce asks, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. 

“Yep,” Jason says and pops his gum. “If you killed that fish already I’m not even talking to you, man. It’s a _fish_ for fuck’s sake. You don’t even have to walk it.”

“Speaking of walking,” Bruce says, looking up at the ceiling, then sighing. “I will need to take a look at your dogs.”

Jason chokes on his gum. “Oh no,” he says, shaking his head. “Hell no. You can’t even --”

“Damian,” Bruce interrupts him. “My son. It seems you were right about how observant he is and well --”

Jason laughs. “He totally figured out Goldie was an imposter.”

Bruce sighs again. “Yes.”

“And he threw a fit?”

“Quite.”

“And somehow he talked you, King of the Stoics and Killer of Tiny Boring Fish, into buying him a puppy?”

Bruce stares at him. “Obviously.”

“This is hard,” Jason says, leaning onto the counter. “Like, on one hand, this is hilarious. But on the other hand, there’s no way I’m letting you out of here with one of my dogs.”

“Isn’t your entire job based upon selling animals?” Bruce asks, lifting his eyebrows. 

“Yeah,” Jason says. “But I’ve got this thing called a conscience, you know? You should probably google it.”

 

“Do you have a point?”

“My point,” Jason says. “Is that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I let one of these dogs go home with you. You kill fish, Bruce. Literally all you have to do is sprinkle some shit in their bowl like, once a week. You realize a dog is going to be more responsibility than a fish, right?”

“I raised a child,” Bruce says. “I think I can handle a german shepard.”

“Yeah no,” Jason says. “There’s no way I’m letting you have Chewie.”

“How about the small one?”

“Cyndi. And no.”

Bruce sighs. “Are there _any_ dogs you would suggest?”

“Hm,” Jason says, blows a bubble big enough that it pops. “They sell these little robot one at the toy store across the street.”

“Jason,” Bruce says impatiently and someone just saying his name probably shouldn’t make his face get all warm, but Bruce’s voice is something else. Something that makes him wish he wasn’t wearing a fucking _nametag_ and had remembered to brush his teeth that morning. 

“Okay fine,” Jason says, walking out from behind the counter. “I’ll show you what we have.”

Jason takes him into the back and introduces him to the dogs. There’s Cyndi, a beautiful cocker spaniel, Chewie, the ancient german shepherd, a beagle named Joni, and --

“How about that one?” Bruce asks, pointing to the mutt at the end. He’s half great dane, half who the fuck knows, and he’s _Jason’s._ Well, if Jason’s apartment allowed him to have dogs. He’s been here ever since Jason got hired and the only reason Jason hasn’t named him is because he knew if he did, there would be no way he’d ever be able to watch someone else take him home. Apparently, that didn’t matter.

“Um,” Jason says. “He’s...not for sale?”

Bruce cocks his head to the side. “Really?”

“No,” Jason sighs. “But look, you really don’t want him. He’s really grumpy. And he hates people. He kind of hates everything.”

“Hm,” Bruce says, amusement brightening his eyes. “Sounds like he and I would get along well.”

“But --”

“Jason,” Bruce says. “If you love this dog so much, why haven’t you taken him home?”

“Can’t,” Jason say. “Landlord doesn’t allow it. Besides, I couldn’t lock this huge dog up in my tiny ass apartment all day. That’d be almost as cruel as selling him to you.”

Bruce laughs. And well -- that sure is something. 

“I have a proposition for you.”

“Jesus,” Jason says before he can think better of it. “Buy me dinner first.”

Bruce tries to cough to hide his blush, but it doesn’t actually work out that well. Jason turns to check how much food Cyndi has. 

“As you know, I only have Damian two weeks out of the month. _He_ is excellent with animals and will be sure the dog is fed and attended to while he’s with me.”

“Right,” Jason says. “It’s the other two weeks I’m kinda terrified of.”

Bruce grimaces. “It’s not that I’m terrible at taking care of things. I just work very long hours.”

“So?”

“So, my proposition,” Bruce continues. “You obviously love this dog. How would you feel about coming and taking care of it while Damian’s at his mother’s? I have a large yard for it to play in. You could come to feed it and walk it and play with it whenever you like.”

“Um,” Jason says. While he’s trying to process everything Bruce just said, Bruce leans down and reaches in the dog’s cage, scratches him behind the ear.

“You’d like it if Jason took care of you, wouldn’t you, Ace?”

Oh god, Jason thinks. You had to fucking name it. 

“Yeah, okay,” he says, smiling as he watches Ace flop over on his belly. He’s never done that for anyone except Jason before. “I guess I could do that.”

“You don’t know how much you’re helping me out,” Bruce says when passes Jason his credit card. “Really.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Jason says. “I might rob you blind and steal the dog the first day.”

Bruce smiles at him again, that bright and blinding thing, and Jason goes a little wobbly. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Jason pets Ace one last time before he leaves the shop.

“See you soon,” Bruce says as they walk out the store together. It’s hours before Jason can stop grinning.

 

: : :

 

Roy laughs for like ten minutes straight when Jason tells him what happened.

“Oh jesus,” he says, clutching his sides. “I can’t believe you’re sharing custody with the serial goldfish killer. I thought you hated him.”

“I don’t _hate_ him,” Jason says. “He’s just terrible at pets. Honestly, I don’t even know how he keeps his kid alive.”

“Totally not that hard,” Roy says, watching Lian fingerpaint on the highchair tray with her oatmeal. 

Jason snorts. “You have her like four days out of the month, dude. That doesn’t count.”

“I have her every weekend, twat,” Roy says and his eyes go comically huge when Lian starts banging her spoon on the highchair tray, saying _twat twat twat_ like it’s her new favorite word. The call from daycare for that should be _epic._

“Uh huh,” Jason says, trying to stifle his laughter so he doesn’t encourage her. “I believe I’ve made my point.”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Roy says, handing Lian her sippy cup. “When do _you_ get the baby, Jay?”

“Shut up, idiot,” Jason says, rolling his eyes as he grabs a beer out of the fridge. “He has the kid this week, so I guess next Monday I start? Man, this _is_ weird.”

“Yup,” Roy says.

“But my _dog_ ,” Jay says, grinning as he leans back against the counter. “Did I tell you he named him, Roy? I never let myself do it because I thought I’d get too attached, but he named him like it was the easiest thing in the world and it’s kind of perfect.”

“You are so weird about dogs,” Roy says, wiping oatmeal off his face after Lian blows a raspberry at him. 

“Whatever,” Jay says. “Dogs are way better than people.”

“Except this one,” Roy says, grinning as Lian rubs the rest of the stuff in her hair.

Jay just laughs and uses the crap in her hair to give her a pretty awesome faux hawk. “Yeah,” he says. “I guess she can stay.”

 

: : :

 

“Jason, hi,” Bruce says when Jay picks up his phone Monday morning before work. “I’m in meetings all day so I’m not going to be able to meet you at the house this afternoon like we talked about.”

Jason’s entire body kind of slumps with the disappointment. He’s kind of been counting down the days until he gets to see Ace on his calendar like a loser. “Oh,” he says. “That’s --”

“I’m sending you the address now though,” Bruce says. “My butler will let you in.”

Jason chokes so hard he almost falls off his bed. “Did you just say butler to me?”

“His name is Alfred,” Bruce chuckles. “He knows you’re coming by. Fair warning, he’ll probably try to feed you.”

“Oh no,” Jason smirks. “Free food.”

He can hear Bruce laugh on the other line and the sound of it sort of makes him wake up a little faster. 

“Hey,” Jason says, sitting up. “If you’ve got a butler, how come he’s not taking care of Ace? Not that I’m complaining.”

“Oh, Alfred doesn’t do pets. He says Damian and I are the only animals he’s going to clean up after.”

“I like this guy,” Jason says, stumbling into the bathroom and squirting some toothpaste out on his toothbrush. “So, four o’clock?”

“Yes,” Bruce says. “And I’ve sent you the directions, but let me know if you can’t find it.. It’s sort of out of the way.”

“No problem,” Jason says. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Hey, Bruce.”

“Yes?”

“How is he?”

“Spoiled rotten already, I’m afraid,” Bruce says, chuckling softly. “Damian lets him sleep in his bed.”

“Aw, man,” Jason says. “Ya’ll ruined my dog already.”

He can’t stop grinning though, even as he shoves his toothbrush in his mouth.

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you,” Bruce says. “But I’m sorry, I’m at work now. I have to go. Make yourself at home while you’re there.”

“Kay,” Jason says around his toothbrush, then hangs up the phone and gets in the shower. 

 

: : :

 

Turns out, Bruce lives in a goddamn _mansion._ Like jesus, Jason knew he was pretty loaded because of the different fucking luxury cars he was driving every time he came to the shop, but this is totally ridiculous. 

He rings the doorbell and Alfred, probably, answers it, all decked out in his butler outfit or whatever. He accepts Jason’s fistbump like a pro though and leads him through the house and… straight into the kitchen.

Well, Bruce did warn him. 

“Oh my god,” Jason groans when he bites into one of Alfred’s mini quiches. “This is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

“Quite a compliment,” Alfred smiles. “Please have as many as you like. Would you like to see his royal prince now?”

Jason covers his mouth when he laughs so he doesn’t get food everywhere. “Bruce said he’s been spoiled.”

Alfred huffs. “Last night I served him dinner. In a chair. At the table.”

Jason laughs as Alfred shows him through the house, around a few winding corridors, until Jason is completely, thoroughly lost. 

“Uh,” he says. “Can I stop and buy a map somewhere?”

Alfred just smirks and says, “I shall leave a trail of breadcrumbs when I return to the kitchen. Ah, here his highness is.” 

Jason cackles as soon as he sees the luxury dog house in the corner of what is probably Damian’s room, judging by all the sports equipment and sketchbooks. 

“Look at you,” Jason says, dropping down and scratching Ace behind the ear when he comes up to him. “Living large, huh?”

He takes Ace out to the backyard once he finds his way out of the house, taking an accidental detour through a room that has nothing but artsy sculptures in it, and throws a frisbee around for a while, rewarding Ace with belly scratches and dog treats he brought from the store every time he brings it back. 

It sucks when he has to leave, but Jason gives him a few extra treats before he goes, just so Ace remembers who his favorite is. 

“Thanks for the goods, Alf,” Jason says as he walks out the door, his arms loaded up with tupperware containers full of baked goods. “You’re the best.”

“Enjoy them,” Alfred says. “Hopefully Master Bruce can join us for dinner tomorrow.”

Jason doesn’t say _that would be weird_ or _I really only care about the dog_ because that would probably be rude. He guesses if he’s going to be spending so much time at this guy’s house he should probably at least be able to have a conversation with him. 

“Sounds good,” Jason says. “See you tomorrow.”

 

: : :

 

Jason heads into work the next morning and turns the radio to his favorite 80’s station, dances around the shop as he cleans cages and tanks out before they open. When Dick comes in he switches it to annoying bubblegum pop shit and they bitch at each for about two hours until Dick pops down the street and brings back two iced mochas as a peace offering. 

“Jay!” He screams from the back a few minutes later and Jason almost trips over his own feet trying to see what the fuck is wrong. When he finds him Dick’s standing in front of Ace’s cage, looking terrified.

“We lost a dog!”

Jason sighs. “No Dickie,” he says. “Someone bought him. I told you.”

“Oh,” Dick says. “Wait. You let someone buy your dog?”

“Kind of had to,” Jason says. “And, I mean. It’s probably the best home ever, so it’s cool.”

It’s true. He’d been pretty worried at first about Bruce not feeding him or not paying him enough attention, about Ace getting lost or worse, but the dog’s pretty much living like a king. Plus, Bruce’s ridiculous mansion is way off the beaten path and there’s a huge, gated yard for him to run around in, so there’s not really any fear of him getting run over. The thing is, someone was bound to try and buy him one day, and Jason has to admit that he’s really lucky that it was Bruce who picked him. 

“You’re making that face,” Dick says, squinting at him. “Stop it.”

“What face?”

“You know,” Dick says. “The one you make when I bring Lian in and I’ve let her style my hair for me.”

“Ugh,” Jason says, biting his cheek to keep from smiling.

“No come on,” Dick says, poking him in the arm. “What’s the face for?”

“Nothing,” Jason says. “It’s just. The guy that bought the dog?” _My_ dog, he doesn’t say because really, it’s implied. “He’s kind of… sharing it with me.”

“That’s _awesome_!” Dick says, high fiving him, then, “Wait. What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means he’s got a crazy job and he doesn’t have time to take care of him when his kid’s not there, so he lets me come over during the weeks that his kid’s at his mom’s house and I like, play with Ace and --”

“Oh my god,” Dick says. “You _named_ him?”

“Bruce did,” Jay says and Dick’s eyebrows shoot way up to the ceiling.

“Hold on,” he says. “Hold on. Bruce? Hot, goldfish slayer Bruce?”

“Uh,” Jason says. 

“Bruce that you totally have the hots for Bruce?” Dick asks and Jason chokes on his mocha. 

“What? I do _not_ \-- what are you on?”

Dick covers his mouth and giggles. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, you totally do, Jay.”

“You’re high,” Jason says, blushing as he logs in on the computer. “Bruce is -- he’s hot, yeah, but he’s just so…”

“Rich?” Dick asks.

“Pretentious,” Jason says. “ _Annoying._ First time he came in here he talked on his damn phone the entire time I was ringing him up.”

He was talking with the doctor about Damian’s chicken pox, but Dick doesn’t need to know that. It was the newest goddamn phone on the market; Jason’s phone is so old they don’t even send out updates for it anymore.

“He wears twelve hundred dollar _shoes_ , Dick. Mine came from… Roy’s closet.”

“So,” Dick says, leaning across the counter and putting his I Took Psych 101 At The Community College For Half a Semester face on. “What you’re _actually_ worried about is that you’re not good enough for him?”

Luckily, Jason doesn’t have to worry about answering him, because a customer walks in and Jason shuffles off to help them.

Dick doesn’t know what he’s talking about anyway. 

Only, the most annoying thing about him, is that he usually does.

 

: : :

 

That afternoon, Jason’s closing up and getting ready to head out to Bruce’s when Roy calls him, talking ninety to nothing like when he’s running late and can’t find his work shirt and Jason says _it’s in your closet, idiot. Where the clothes live_. 

“I need a huge favor, man,” he says. “I swear, I’ll owe you forever.”

“One,” Jason says. “You already owe me forever for that time I got the bubblegum out of your stupid hipster beard. And two, I don’t have the money to bail you out of jail.”

“Fuck off,” Roy says. “That was one time and it was Dick’s fault and --”

“The point, Roy,” Jason says as he tries to count down his drawer again. 

“Right, so. I told Jade I’d get Li this afternoon so she could go to her meeting, but the servers just went down at work and it’s going to take me all fucking night to bring them back up probably.”

“I’ll get her, no problem,” Jason says, walking into the office with his drawer, then he remembers. “Oh, shit. I’m supposed to go to Bruce’s this afternoon and I think we’re supposed to have dinner or something. Um.”

“Aw, Jay. I’m sorry, man. I bet you were looking forward to that too.”

“What?” Jay snaps. “Why is everybody acting like I’ve been mooning over this guy?”

“Cuz,” Roy says. “You totally have been, in your special little Jay way. Anyway, do you want me to call Jade and tell her to find someone else?”

“No way,” Jason says. “I’ll just...can I take her with me?”

“Cool with me,” Roy says. “Car seat’s in the trunk of Dick’s car.”

“Okay,” Jason says. “Sounds like a plan. She’s not allergic to dogs, right? Or like, marble floors and high ceilings?”

“Not that I know of,” Roy laughs. “Be careful, yeah?”

“Always,” Jay says as he opens up the safe. “See you tonight.”

 

: : :

 

“Why hello,” Alfred says when he opens the door for Jason that afternoon, smiling at Lian on his hip. He takes the diaper bag hanging off of Jason’s shoulder and carries it into the kitchen. “And what would you like, my dear? Oatmeal cookie? Chocolate cupcake? I’m sure I could whip up a --”

“Cool it, Alf,” Jason says. “Roy would kill me if I brought his kid back with type two diabetes.”

Alfred makes a face, but then Lian pretty much launches herself out of Jason’s arms and right into his and Alfred’s busy making the most ridiculous sounds for about fifteen minutes straight while Jason just stands there and watches, marvelling at how she seems to have this ability to turn grown ass men into blubbering idiots. 

While Alfred whips up some kind of fancy, tropical fruit salad sans mango -- Li’s allergic, makes her tongue itch like crazy for about twelve hours -- Ace comes bounding down the hall when he hears Jason’s voice. 

“Hey, boy,” Jason says, kneeling down on the floor and scratching Ace’s ears. “How’s it --”

Li screeches so loud when she sees Ace that Alfred actually drops the bowl he’s making her fruit salad in and Ace rushes over to gobble up all the bits of papaya and banana. 

“ _GOGGGYYYYYYYY!_ ” Lian screams and climbs down out of the bar stool Alfred had sat her on, toddles over as fast as she can on her tiny little legs and promptly falls right on top of Ace. Ace turns and licks her face and Lian giggles harder than Jason’s ever heard her giggle, even harder than that time Dick threw her up so high Roy grounded him from holding her for three months. 

“Goggy, Jay,” she says, throwing her legs over Ace and grabbing his ears like they’re handle bars. “Jay. Goggy.”

“Yeah, Li. I know,” Jason grins. “He’s cool, huh?” 

“Goggy,” Li says, faceplanting between his ears and giggling again. “Mine?”

“Nope,” Jay says, pulling Lian off of Ace so he can wash her hands up and she eat have the bits of the fruit salad that didn’t end up on the floor. “ _Mine._ ”

Lian looks at him like he’s the worst big person she’s ever seen for about five seconds, then he sits her at the bar with a bowl of bananas and pineapple and she starts singing one of the lines from _Space Oddity_ , Alfred humming along with her as he does the dishes. 

“Go along and take Ace out back, Jason,” Alfred says, drying a plate. “The little miss and I might just go on up and check out my record collection when we’re finished here, since she clearly has such great taste.”

“Uh,” Jason says, scratching the back of his neck. Like, he pretty much adored Alfred the second he handed him food, but leaving Roy’s kid with him five minutes after she meets him? He doesn’t know. But Lian seems to love the shit out of Alfred? Ugh. This is why he doesn’t have kids. But then Ace comes up to Jason and nips at his fingers, looks up at him like he knows it’s time to go out and run around and pee on everything, so Jason says, “Yeah. Just. You know, don’t let her stick things in electric outlets or --”

“Oh dear,” Alfred says. “I thought we might run with scissors and do a few keg stands while you were out, but I suppose we’ll make do.”

“Smart ass,” Jason says, biting his tongue when Lian mimics him, like a two foot tall parrot. 

“Go,” Alfred says, scooping Lian up and patting Jason on the shoulder. “I’ll take good care of her. You have my word.”

Jason pulls on Lian’s braids and kisses her on the nose before he and Ace head outside.

Today Jason just lets Ace run wherever he wants, follows him way down to the end of the property line and laughs a little when he discovers a mini goddamn apple orchard. 

“This guy is insane,” Jason mutters and barely has time to catch his breath before he’s chasing after Ace again. 

When they make it back up to the manor, Jason and Ace both collapse in a soft patch of grass to catch their breath. Ace lets his tongue hang out and drools everywhere and Jason just barely restrains himself enough not to do the same. 

“Got a good setup here,” he says, throwing his arm over his eyes, so he doesn’t notice when someone stands over them, blocking the sun. “I’m a little bit jealous, not gonna lie.”

“Nice run?” Bruce asks suddenly and Jason pulls his arm away, squints up at him. 

“Oh,” he says, blushing as he stands up. He probably looked like a moron, talking to a dog on the ground. Shit, he has dog drool on his shirt. “Uh. Hey. You’re home.”

“I’m home,” Bruce says, grinning, and it occurs to Jason that he hasn’t really seen him _smile_ all that much and it’s kind of staggering. “Would you and Ace like to come in for dinner?”

“Sure,” Jason says, brushing himself off. “You _really_ let him eat at the table?”

This time Bruce blushes. “Damian does,” he says, clearing his throat. “And I --”

“Just let him,” Jason says. “Because you still feel shitty about killing three million goldfish.”

“Eight,” Bruce corrects him, frowning. “And yes. And also, he won’t listen to me.”

“Damian?”

“No,” Bruce says and Jason’s about to argue with _that _when Bruce says, “The dog. He only listens to Damian.”__

__“And me,” Jason says cheerfully. “Watch this. Ace, shake?”_ _

__Ace whimpers and rolls over onto his back, playing dead._ _

__“Well,” Jason laughs. “Close enough. Have a treat.”_ _

__“And you wonder why he might be spoiled,” Bruce says, but there’s a little smile in the corner of his mouth when he opens the door for Jason and Jason feels heat spread out across the back of his neck when he steps through the door._ _

__“Why don’t you go get washed up?” Bruce says. “I’ll tell Alfred we’re ready.”_ _

__“Kay,” Jason says and somehow manages to find one of the bathrooms on the first floor, wipes his hands on one of the fancy, monogrammed towels, then steals a couple of the little soaps in the dish because he promised Roy he’d steal _something_ and he likes Alfred too much to pocket any of the silver. _ _

__When he comes out and starts walking back down the hall, Jason can hear Lian’s giggles echoing off the walls. He follows the sound of it and finds her in the den, sitting in Bruce’s lap and talking his ear off about pterodactyls as she winds his tie in knots._ _

__“I found someone,” Bruce says, raising his eyebrows at Jason. “She says she knows you.”_ _

__Jason snorts. “She’s going to choke you,” Jason points and Bruce coughs a little, unties the triple knot at his throat and lays his tie aside. “Sorry, I --”_ _

__“No need to apologize,” Bruce says. “I understand the difficulties of finding childcare. You could have told me when --”_ _

__Jason laughs so loud it kind of scares Lian and Bruce puts his huge bear paw of a hand against her back to settle her and -- Jason forgets what was so fucking funny for a minute._ _

__“Um, no,” he finally says. “She’s not mine, dude. She’s my roommate’s. He had to work late.”_ _

__“Ah,” Bruce says, smiling softly when Lian slides out of his lap and toddles over to the bookcase, dragging a book half her size out and plopping down with it. “Well, either way. She’s welcome.”_ _

__“Cool,” Jason says and luckily they don’t have time to be any more awkward than they already are because that’s when Alfred appears, telling them dinner’s ready to be served._ _

__Alfred ends up putting a stew pot under Lian to help her reach the table since obviously they don’t have any high chairs and Jason reaches over and cuts her chicken up for her while she squeals about the dog sitting next to her._ _

__Dinner is actually more comfortable than Jason imagined it going and maybe that’s because he has Lian there with him as a buffer, but the conversation actually rolls pretty smoothly and he talks to Bruce about Ace and Bruce tells him how Damian refuses to feed him anything but organic dog food and Alfred tells them they’re all idiots even though Jason totally sees him feeding Ace chicken under the tablecloth._ _

__Afterward, Jason insists on helping clean up and Lian passes out in the breakfast nook curled up around Ace._ _

__“I’m glad you came,” Bruce says, drying off a plate Jason hands him. “Stayed, I mean. I didn’t think you would.”_ _

__Jason gives him a curious look and Bruce shrugs. His profile is kind of a ridiculous thing, so Jason looks down at the plate in his hand._ _

__“I got the impression you didn’t think much of me,” Bruce says and Jason laughs, nearly chokes on it._ _

__“I guess I was kind of an ass,” he says. “Trust me, it’s nothing personal. I just… judge a book by it’s cover sometimes. It’s a bad habit.”_ _

__Bruce just smiles at him, leans against the counter when they finish with the dishes. His sleeves are rolled up and pushed up to his elbows and the front of his pants are damp from water that spilled onto the edge of the counter, pants that fit him really, _really_ nicely and --_ _

__It hits Jason like a sack of _bricks._ _ _

__Fuck._ _

__He is totally into this guy. He’s totally into Bruce. He fucking hates it when Dick’s right._ _

__“I have bad habits too,” Bruce says and Jason swallows._ _

__“Like killing goldfish?”_ _

__“Like that,” Bruce chuckles softly, then he reaches out and slips his thumb into Jason’s belt loop, tugs Jason between his legs. “And like letting gorgeous young men with hearts of gold into my home when I hardly even know them.”_ _

__Jason bites his lip. He can smell the wine Bruce had for dinner on his breath, the cologne that Jason realizes he’s committed to memory, remembers how he was able to tell it was Bruce just by the scent of it when he walked into the shop. “Do you,” he says, licking his lips. “Make a habit out of that?”_ _

__“It was a figure of speech,” Bruce says and drags Jason in for a kiss, swiping his tongue across his mouth and opening Jason’s mouth up with it, sliding his hand down Jason’s back and palming his ass when Jason kisses him back, cupping the back of Bruce’s neck and --_ _

__“Jay,” Lian says sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she tugs at his pants leg. “Nobody sang to me.”_ _

__Jason reaches down and scoops Lian up in his arms, gives Bruce an apologetic smile when she lays her head on his shoulder and passes back out._ _

__“I gotta get her home,” he says. “Uh, thanks. For dinner.”_ _

__“Of course,” Bruce says. “You’re welcome anytime, Jason. I mean that.”_ _

__“Yeah, okay,” Jason says, patting Lian on the back when she starts to squirm around. “I’ll keep that in mind.”_ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__“Thanks for last night, man,” Roy says the next morning. “Was she able to sleep?”_ _

__“Yeah,” Jason yawns. “After I sang _Do You Wanna Build A Snowman_ about sixteen times.”_ _

__“Sorry about that,” Roy grins, not looking very sorry actually. “It was pretty much chaos at work and you know, I’m their _best_ , so.”_ _

__“Yeah?” Jason asks as he shoves a spoonful of cornflakes in his mouth. “You get those hickeys before or after the chaos?”_ _

__Roy doesn’t even have the _ability_ to have shame anymore, so he just stretches and scratches his chest and grins. “After.”_ _

__“Were you seriously hooking up while I was singing Elsa songs to your kid?”_ _

__“That’s Anna’s song,” Roy says. “And it’s not like I went clubbing or something.”_ _

__“Okaay,” Jason says, narrowing his eyes. “You pick up somebody on the ride home and make out with them in the car or?”_ _

__Roy’s filthy, filthy grin pretty much tells him the rest._ _

__“Aw, jesus,” Jason says. “You didn’t. Not the jailbait boss.”_ _

__“Oh, I really did,” Roy says, looking so fucking proud of himself Jason kind of wants to kick his chair out from under him._ _

__“You’re an idiot,” Jason tells him, then grabs his bowl and heads to the sink._ _

__“Someone’s grumpy,” Roy says, throwing a walnut at the back of his head. “What’s the matter? You jealous you didn’t come home with any hickeys?”_ _

__“Well see,” Jason says. “I might’ve, except I was busy being cockblocked by your offspring.”_ _

__“Ouch,” Roy says, looking repentant for once. “Yeah, I got you. My bad.”_ _

__“It’s fine,” Jason says. “I mean, I am going to be over there the rest of the week.”_ _

__“Huh,” Roy smirks. “That almost makes it too easy.”_ _

__“ _You’re_ too easy,” Jason says, pinches one of Roy’s nipples when he walks by. “I’m getting in the shower. Go get Li up. _Don’t_ give her Lucky Charms, Roy.”_ _

__“But she likes it when I make the leprechaun voice.”_ _

__“Uh huh and she’s a maniac at daycare for half the day until she crashes in the sandbox. There’s a fruit cup and yogurt in the fridge.”_ _

__“Is that what that weird organic shit is?”_ _

__“It’s whole milk and it’s _good_ for her,” Jason says, grabs a towel out of the closet and hops in the shower._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__By about ten o’clock Jason’s hardly getting anything done he’s so preoccupied thinking about about that kiss. It’s kind of stupid. It only lasted like half a second and Jason’s hands were still all wrinkly from being in the dish water. It probably shouldn’t be as memorable as it is. It’s just, Jason can’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if Lian hadn’t woken up._ _

__He’s supposed to be taking inventory, but he keeps spacing out and thinking about Bruce deepening the kiss, maybe pushing him back against the counter. He’s all rich and put together, but underneath that suit and tie he’s a fucking _beast_ , has at least fifty pounds and a foot on Jason and Jason could _feel_ something in that short-lived kiss that promised more. Bruce’s hands all over him, holding him, moving him where he wanted him, fucking his tongue into his mouth and bruising Jason’s mouth, _biting_ him --_ _

__“Oh fuck this,” Jason says gives up on inventory for now. He’ll stay late one day this week, whatever. He dials Alfred’s number while no one’s in the shop and finds out where Bruce works._ _

__“I must warn you,” Alfred says. “His job is very demanding and Master Bruce is the type to throw himself into his work, I’m afraid. He may not even have time to enjoy lunch today.”_ _

__“Oh that’s not--” Jason blushes. “I just have to talk to him about something.”_ _

__“Of course,” Alfred says and Jason can swear he can hear him smirking over the phone. “Well, at any rate. Good luck pulling him away.”_ _

__Jason hops on the train as soon as Dick gets back from his lunch, puts his headphones on and takes the paperback out of his jacket pocket to read until his stop._ _

__The building Bruce works at is _massive_ and has his name all fucking over it. It’s -- Jason feels his chest tightening up, feels the familiar pull of anxiety just _looking_ at it, at being reminded who Bruce is, where he comes from. _ _

__Jason pulls his jacket around him and heads inside, up seven floors to Bruce’s office and tells the secretary he’s here to see Bruce._ _

__“Do you have an appointment?” She asks and Jason frowns._ _

__“No? I just --”_ _

__“Well you need to have an appointment. Mr. Wayne is booked this morning.”_ _

__“Hey, hi,” a girl with blonde hair and little ice cream cones dangling from her ears pops her head in front of Jason’s face, invading his personal space a little bit. “Are you Jason by any chance?”_ _

__“Uh,” Jason says. “Yeah, but --”_ _

__“Cool,” the girl says, smiling at him. Jason has no idea who she is, but her tongue is bright blue like she just gulped down a blue raspberry slushie and there’s a little bit of ink peeking out of the top of her blouse next to her collarbone, so Jason likes her already. “Come with me.”_ _

__“Stephanie,” the woman behind the counter sighs and Stephanie just laughs as she drags Jason behind her._ _

__“It’s Steph, by the way,” she says. “My mom doesn’t even call me Stephanie. Here we are.”_ _

__“I’m coming in,” Steph announces, jiggling on the door in front of her before barging in and Jason walks in behind her. Bruce is on the phone, his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, the knot in his tie looking a little worse for wear, but when he looks up at Jason he trails off in the middle of his sentence._ _

__“The intercom, Stephanie,” Bruce says after he gets off the phone. “It works. Try it one day.”_ _

__“Yeah yeah,” Steph says, chewing her gum and grinning. “Maybe later. Anyway,” she turns to Jason. “Let me know if you need coffee or a danish or anything.”_ _

__“You don’t even get _me_ coffee,” Bruce says and Steph just grins at Jason before she walks out, closing the door behind her. _ _

__“Uh,” Jason says, looking around. “Hi.”_ _

__“Hey,” Bruce says, smiling as he pushes his chair out from under his desk and closes his laptop. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”_ _

__“Oh, yeah,” Jason blushes, rubbing the back of his seat. “I kind of called Alfred. I was going to bring you lunch, but I had no idea what you liked and Alfred said you hardly eat, so.”_ _

__“Afraid he’s right about that,” Bruce says. “I may have a sandwich from downstairs in between meetings later, but other than that I probably won’t have time for such luxuries today.”_ _

__“That’s a bummer,” Jason says, walking around Bruce’s desk and leaning against it. “I was gonna see how you felt about chilli cheese dogs.”_ _

__“We’ll have to try that on a day I’m not trying to close three new deals,” Bruce says, then he slots his hands around Jason’s hips like they were made to fit there, _drags_ Jason to the middle of his desk in front of him like Jason weighs nothing. “But right now I have about fifteen minutes before they start knocking down the doors and to be honest, food is the last thing on my mind.”_ _

__“Oh,” Jason says and then Bruce is dragging his face down so he can kiss him and fuck, it’s definitely different than last night. This kiss is immediately deeper, hungrier, like if Jason wasn’t crazy he’d think Bruce had been thinking about this all morning just like he’d been. Bruce pushes his hands up Jason’s shirt as he kisses him and Jason just climbs into his lap, squeezes his legs in beside the arms of the chair and Bruce slides one hand into his hair, the other down to his ass and bites down on Jason’s lip when Jason rolls his hips._ _

__Bruce pulls away for half a second to hit the button on the intercom. “Steph,” he says, his voice hot and rough already. “No interruptions.”_ _

__“Aye, aye, boss,” Jason hears Steph’s voice shoot back and Jason wonders briefly if Bruce does this sort of thing all the time before Bruce is kissing his neck and Jason forgets to think about _anything._ _ _

__“Fifteen minutes, huh,” Jason says, running his fingers through the thick softness of Bruce’s hair._ _

__“Mm,” Bruce says. “Twelve now.”_ _

__“Guess I better hurry up then,” Jason says, winking at Bruce before he slides out of Bruce’s lap and comes face to face with the thick, hard outline of Bruce’s cock in his trousers. Jason stares so long apparently that Bruce reaches down and unzips himself and Jason knocks Bruce’s hand away when he starts to take his dick out, gets his own hand around him and looks up at Bruce as he swirls his tongue around the tip._ _

__“Ten,” Bruce grins down at him, something sharp and predatory like a shark, and Jason swallows him _whole_ , makes Bruce groan he takes him so deep so fast and feels Bruce’s huge hand splay out over the back of his head._ _

__He reaches down and gets his own dick out as Bruce starts shallowly fucking his mouth, jerks off hard and fast and when Bruce grunts out _two_ and his come floods Jason’s tongue and the back of his throat, Jason moans around him and spills into his hand. _ _

__Bruce pulls him up and back into his lap, takes his hand and sucks Jason clean until Jason thinks he’s going to get hard again just from _watching_ him. _ _

__“B,” Steph says when she buzzes here. “That guy with that thing’s here. He looks pissed.”_ _

__Bruce sighs, rests his head against Jason’s. “I’m sorry, but I really have to --”_ _

__“It’s cool,” Jason says, still tasting Bruce in the corners of his mouth. “I get it.”_ _

__Bruce cups the back of his neck and drags Jason in for a slow, wet kiss before he lets him up. “I’ll get back up with you later this week when things have slowed down, okay?”_ _

__“Sounds good,” Jason says. “Don’t forget to eat.”_ _

__Bruce gives him a crooked smile before Jason lets himself out of the office, only realizing what he must look like as soon as he steps out. Bruce hadn’t looked much worse for wear, just a little flushed in his cheek, but Jason had had Bruce’s hands in his hair, Bruce’s dick in his _mouth_. He probably looks like Bruce had _him_ for lunch._ _

__“Hey Steph,” he says quickly before everyone starts staring at him and it gets really weird. “You like chili dogs?”_ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__The next morning Jason gets up early so he can make up a batch of chicken salad for lunch, throws in apples and celery and walnuts and grapes, then stuffs them in the sandwich wraps Dick bought because he thought they were tortillas and got mad because Jay wouldn’t let him use them for tacos. He grabs a couple of oranges and carefully cuts them into segments and puts them in one container, throws a mix of romaine and baby spinach into another._ _

__On the way to open the shop he grabs a couple of rolls from the deli, then puts the lunch he made in the fridge when he gets to work and puts about a dozen sticky notes that say _JASON’S. DO NOT TOUCH. THAT MEANS YOU DICK.__ _

__So of course Dick comes stomping into the room about ten minutes later, crossing his arms over his chest. “You made a fancy lunch and you’re not going to let me eat any?”_ _

__“Not for you,” Jason says without looking up from his clipboard._ _

__“But there’s enough for two people,” Dick pouts._ _

__“I’m aware.”_ _

__“But --” Then Jason practically feels it when Dick grins behind him. “Oh gosh, you got it bad, huh?”_ _

__“Shut up.”_ _

__“You’re taking him _lunch_ ,” Dick says, wedging himself between Jason and the shelf of cat toys. “You want to have his _babies._ ”_ _

__“Got enough of those,” Jason says, but he knows he’s blushing because he can feel the heat in his cheeks. “And I’m not talking about Lian.”_ _

__“Whatever,” Dick says. “Can I come to the wedding?”_ _

__“You can go drown yourself in that fish tank over there,” Jason says and shoves him out of the way, biting back a grin after Dick walks off._ _

__He hates that Dick knows him so well and he hates that he’s totally right. Jason does have it bad and it’s only been like two weeks. Well, longer than that if you count every time Bruce came into the shop and Jason was in denial about being totally into him._ _

__By the time eleven o’clock comes around Jason’s done all the inventory, cleaned all the cages, and swept the store twice._ _

__“Oh my god,” Dick says. “You’re driving me crazy, just get out of here.”_ _

__“Okay,” Jason grins, ruffling Dick’s hair when he walks by and grabs the food from the fridge, sits the bags next to him on the train ride to Bruce’s office. He tries to read, but when he ends up re-reading the same paragraph five times in a row he gives up._ _

__Maggie frowns at him when he walks up to the front desk. “Mr. Wayne is --”_ _

__“Busy, yeah,” Jason smiles at her, hopefully the kind of smile that talks sweet old ladies into buying the parrots Dick has taught filth to. “It’s cool. I’ll wait.”_ _

__He sits down in one of the chairs against the wall and shoots Steph a text. _Hey, I’m here and the mean lady won’t let me in. Help?__ _

__It takes about ten minutes, but Steph finally comes to the front, her heels clicking on the tile._ _

__“Hey Jason,” she gives him a small smile, tucks the hair that’s fallen out of her bun behind her ear. “Sorry, it’s kinda crazy here right now. Come on.”_ _

__Jason grabs his bags and follows Steph down the hall toward Bruce’s office._ _

__“He’s cranky,” she says when she reaches for Bruce’s door. “I warned you.”_ _

__“It’s cool,” Jason says, lifting up the bag in his hand. “I brought goodies.”_ _

__Steph gives him another small smile before she opens the door and walks off._ _

__Bruce is on the phone so Jason just walks right in, sits the bags on a table in the back and starts unpacking them._ _

__“Absolutely not,” Bruce says on the phone. “We aren’t giving Luthor a fucking dime, I don’t care who he is or how much he’s invested into Wayne Tech. He’s a lunatic. I don’t want him anywhere _near --_ ” Bruce looks up and finally sees him, rubs at the stubble on his jaw, then slams his fist down on his desk. “Apparently I’m not making myself _clear_ enough. This _isn’t_ up for discussion. You’ll either drop this nonsense with LuthorCorp or you’ll lose your contract with Wayne Tech. Have I made myself clear?”_ _

__Bruce hangs up the phone a moment later without another word, rubs his hand over his face and looks at Jason._ _

__“Christ that was hot,” Jason says, licking a bit of salad dressing off his thumb._ _

__“I’m sorry,” Bruce says, standing up. “You shouldn’t have come today.”_ _

__“You’re busy, I know,” Jason says. “I figured you wouldn’t get to go to lunch again, so I brought lunch to you.”_ _

__Bruce looks over to the table in the back and sighs. “Thank you, Jason. But I don’t have time today. You should have called. Or _Stephanie_ ,” Bruce shouts. “Could have let me know you were here so I could have relayed the message. It’s just not a good time. I’m truly sorry.”_ _

__“Yeah,” Jason says numbly, turns to put the lids back on all the containers. “I -- no problem. I get it. I’ll get out of your hair.”_ _

__“Thank you,” Bruce says. “For thinking of me, but I really have to --”_ _

__“Get back to work,” Jason says, forcing a smile. “Really, I understand. Go ahead.”_ _

__Bruce is already back to yelling at people on the phone before Jason has all the food packed up._ _

__“Hey,” Steph says, heels clicking behind him as she tries to catch him before he gets to the elevator. “Where you going? What’s in the bag?”_ _

__“Nothing,” Jason says, handing the bag to her. “Just some food. Take it.”_ _

__“But don’t you want to --”_ _

__“No,” Jason says and lets the elevator doors close behind him._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__That afternoon Jason heads over to the manor after work like he always does, says hi to Alfred and takes Ace out to the back. He teaches Ace how to roll over, how to sit and stay, gives him the new toy he bought him from the pet store that you put an empty soda bottle inside of so that when Ace bites down on it it makes a sound like bones crunching. Ace loves it._ _

__Jason waits around until seven, but Bruce never shows up._ _

__“It’s like this sometimes,” Alfred says as he wraps up a plate of pork loin and steamed vegetables for Jason to take home. “Sometimes I think I ought to move into that building, I’d see him more often.”_ _

__Jason just nods and takes his food out to the car, doesn’t realize he never even turned the radio on until he pulls into the apartment complex and turns off the car._ _

__When he lets himself in the apartment he walks right in on Roy and his new _whatever_ making out and grinding on the couch like they’re fucking fifteen or something. _ _

__“Hey Jaybird,” Roy grins, his hands still up the back of the guy’s shirt. “This is Tim."_ _

__

__“Great,” Jay says and opens the fridge, putting the food Alfred gave him inside. “I’m going to bed.”_ _

__Sometime around one he wakes up to the sound of Roy and Tim going at it, rolls over and grabs his earplugs out of his nightstand and puts them in. Before he goes to bed he checks his phone, but there’s only one message and it’s from Steph._ _

___I told you today was crazy._ _ _

__Jason doesn’t reply, just puts his phone back on the dresser and goes back to sleep._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__Jason wakes up the next morning, looks at his phone and knows from the lack of blinking that he doesn’t have any new messages, so he pulls on a pair of shorts and his shoes and heads out for a run._ _

__Running usually clears his head, but today all he can think about is all the ways he fucked up. He got too clingy too fast. He pushed when Bruce tried to tell him he was too busy. Fuck, Bruce was probably giving out all kinds of signals and Jason was too stupid and too gone for him already to pick up on them._ _

__By the time he runs past the bakery Jason says fuck it and stops in for a dozen jelly filled donuts and thinks _maybe_ he’ll let Roy have one of them._ _

__When he gets home he thinks about waking Roy up by crawling in his bed and putting his cold toes on his thighs, but then he remembers Roy has company and Jason angrily shoves one of the donuts in his mouth._ _

__A little after eight Roy drags out of his room, his hair sticking up everywhere and grabs a soda out of the fridge, plants a wet kiss on Jason’s cheek when he sees the donuts._ _

__“I love you, man,” he says and Jason just makes a noncommittal noise._ _

__“Have fun last night?” Jason asks as he watches an egg fry in the pan._ _

__Roy lifts his eyebrow and leans against the counter. “What’s wrong with you?”_ _

__“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Jason says, swearing when he breaks the yolk when he flips it._ _

__“Is it Bruce?”_ _

__“Fuck Bruce,” Jason snaps and Roy makes this _mm_ sound behind him that makes Jason want to stab him with his spatula. _ _

__“What’d he do?”_ _

__“Nothing,” Jason mutters, sliding the egg onto a plate, then cracking another. He’s not even fucking hungry. “Don’t worry about it.”_ _

__“Asshole,” Roy says fondly, standing behind Jason and putting his chin on Jason’s shoulder. “Don’t tell me what to do. Want me to kick his ass? Put flaming dog shit on his doorstep?”_ _

__Jason snorts._ _

__“Seriously, what happened?” Roy asks, licking jelly of his fingers. “I thought things were going good.”_ _

__Jason just shrugs. “I thought they were too.”_ _

__That’s when Tim comes out of Roy’s room, wearing one of Roy’s old shirts and a pair of his sweats._ _

__“There’s eggs,” Jason says, pointing to the plate on the counter and walks past Tim to grab a shower before work._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__The rest of Jason’s week with Ace goes about the same. He drives over after work, takes Ace for a run and teaches him new tricks, chats a bit with Alfred as Alfred tries out new recipes on him, and Bruce never makes it home before he leaves._ _

__At first Jason tries to be rational, tries to remember that Bruce is super busy at work, but by the end of the week he feels like it’s just a convenient excuse to avoid him._ _

__Jason says goodbye to Ace on Friday since Damian will be there the next morning, gives him a few extra treats and a few extra belly rubs before he takes the rest of a german chocolate cake Alfred made the night before and heads back home._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__He doesn’t even know why he’s so fucked up over this. It’s not like he dated Bruce or anything. It’s not like they had some kind of _thing._ But even still, Jason finds himself on the couch all weekend forgetting to shower and hate-watching a Worst Cooks of America marathon. _ _

__On Sunday night Roy comes home and finds him still on the couch and doesn’t say anything, just curls under Jason’s blanket with him and shifts him around so that Roy can curl around him while he watches tv._ _

__“You know what it means when it hurts this much,” he says as he strokes Jason’s hip and Jason wants to elbow him in the ribs, but he doesn’t have the energy. “You talk to him?”_ _

__“He’s got my number,” Jason grunts._ _

__“Jay,” Roy says, sighing against the back of his hair. “If you really --”_ _

__“I _really_ want to see who wins this cupcake war,” Jason says. “So spoon me and shut up.”_ _

__“Kay,” Roy says and snuggles a little closer._ _

__They fall asleep on the couch a few hours later and Jason sleeps better than he has in days._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__Monday morning Jason wakes up and Roy’s already slipped out from around him and is currently singing one of Lian’s Elsa songs at the top of his lungs in the shower._ _

__Jason grabs his phone off the coffee table, shoots Dick a text to tell him he’s sick, then pulls the blanket back over him and rolls back over._ _

__He’s fully aware of how pathetic he’s being, which honestly just makes it worse. But now, on top of feeling shitty because of fucking things up with Bruce he has to go all week without seeing Ace and he _knows_ it’s kind of ridiculous to be that heartbroken over not being able to see a dog, but whatever. He eats a pint of Ben and Jerry’s for fucking breakfast. He really doesn’t give a shit about not being melodramatic right now. _ _

__As he lies there, hate-watching more reality tv, Jason tells himself it’s only going to be today. He’s going to take today to be a pitiful fuck, eat enough ice cream to kill a small child, watch eleven million videos of dogs on youtube, and it’ll be like a cleanse. Tomorrow he’ll get up and say fuck all this shit and everything will go back to normal._ _

__The only problem with that theory is that it’s completely stupid. Apparently you can’t just decide you’re not going to be heartbroken or whatever, but Jason still has to work, so he drags his ass to the store and does what he has to. Dick tries to get him to talk it out about every five minutes until Jason threatens to shove him in a hamster cage and every time he gets a text and it’s just Roy telling him how hot Tim looks in his little vest or Steph linking him to a youtube video and Jason gets a glimpse of the last message Bruce sent him it just kind of starts all over again._ _

__On Thursday Jason actually gets sick and he’d worry that Dick thought he was faking it again if he wasn’t the asshole that gave it to him. He rolls out of bed with a fever and chugs a bottle of Nyquil, passes back out on the couch for a few hours, then drags his ass in the kitchen and boils a pot of chicken soup with stars that they stocked up on for Lian when she had the flu._ _

__Jason’s in the middle of slurping some of it down and getting really, really interested in a telenovela when someone knocks on the door._ _

__“M’coming,” Jason says, forgetting he shed his shirt about ten minutes ago because he was burning up again instead of freezing. It’s probably just Mrs. Henrickson bringing him his mail because sometimes the mail lady puts Roy’s mail in her box, but when Jason opens the door it’s not Mrs. Henrickson._ _

__It’s Bruce._ _

__Jason shuts the door in his face, stands there for about five minutes, then opens it again._ _

__“What are you doing here?” He says._ _

__“Are you alright?” Bruce asks. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”_ _

__“I’m fine,” Jason lies. “What do you want?”_ _

__Bruce sighs. “I want to -- could I possibly come inside?”_ _

__“No,” Jason says, then decides he’s too tired to keep standing up so he sighs and backs away, nodding at Bruce to come inside. Jason goes back over to the couch and curls back up under his nest of blankets. On a normal day he would be freaking the fuck out over Bruce walking into their place looking like such a shit hole, but today he couldn’t give a fuck._ _

__“So,” Jason says when Bruce just stands there. “Why _are_ you here?”_ _

__“I wanted to apologize,” Bruce says. “For last week.”_ _

__“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Jason says, flipping through the channels on the tv._ _

__“Yes I do,” Bruce says, moving across the room to sit on the couch next to Jason, moving the book Jason had been reading and a box of tissues so he can sit down. “The day you brought me lunch was probably the busiest, craziest day I’ve had all year. It was honestly the worst possible time you could have shown up and I was so preoccupied I didn’t realize what trouble you’d gone to until you’d left. I told myself I was going to call you after work, but well, I don’t think there’s been a moment this week I haven’t been working. Alfred has had to make me eat, force me to go to bed. I hate it when it gets like this. When _I_ get like this. I seem to forget how to act like a person and I truly apologize for that.”_ _

__“It’s fine,” Jason says, the tightness in his chest not just from the cold Dick gave him. “It’s not like we’re -- I just dog sit for you, I shouldn’t have bothered you.”_ _

__“Jason,” Bruce breathes out. “You were not bothering me.”_ _

__“I kind of was,” Jay says, finally turning to face him._ _

__“Okay,” Bruce admits. “In a way, maybe. But not in the way you think. I wanted you there. I wanted to make time for you all week, Jay. And then when I didn’t and I realized how long it had been and how I’d left things I -- well, I walked out of my meeting and came straight here.”_ _

__Jason sits up a little at that. “Jesus Bruce,” he says. “You shouldn’t have done that.”_ _

__“I should have,” Bruce says. “And I should have called. Sent a text. Sent a damn fax. I should have done something to let you know that every moment I was in that office I was wanting to be with you.”_ _

__“Bruce,” Jason says and Bruce reaches out for him, leans in to kiss him and Jason doesn’t remember until Bruce’s mouth is on his that that’s probably a bad idea._ _

__“I’m sick,” he says. “You shouldn’t --”_ _

__“Fuck shouldn’t,” Bruce says, pulling Jason into his lap, blanket and all. “A cold won’t kill me.”_ _

__He kisses Jason with a week’s worth of hunger, cups the back of his neck as Jay grabs onto his shoulder, kisses him until Jason has to break away to catch his breath._ _

__“Unless,” Bruce says, stroking his knuckles down the knobs of Jason’s spine. “You aren’t feeling up to it. Then it can wait, of course.”_ _

__“Screw that,” Jason says and brings Bruce’s face to his neck instead, groans when Bruce drags his teeth over his skin, rubs the beard that had grown in during the week Bruce had been too busy to shave all over him until Jason’s neck feels rubbed raw with it._ _

__“You’re burning up,” Bruce murmurs against his throat._ _

__“I know,” Jason says, bares more of his throat for Bruce to suck on. “You’re going to have to carry me to bed.”_ _

__“That I can do,” Bruce says and lifts Jason up with him when he stands. Jason wraps his legs around Bruce and kisses and bites at Bruce’s jaw and Bruce makes his way through the messy apartment to the room Jason points to, then he spills Jason out of his arms and on top of the covers._ _

__“Too many clothes,” Jason says as he tries to get Bruce’s shirt undone and Bruce just chuckles, gets his shirt off and then his pants, shoves his briefs down then crawls up the bed, hooks his thumbs into the waistband of Jason’s sweats and pulls them all the way off._ _

__“Do you have --”_ _

__“In the nightstand,” Jason says and Bruce leans over him to reach for the lube and condoms in the first drawer._ _

__“I’m --” Jason says when Bruce starts to rip open the condom. “I promise I’m good. I don’t -- I haven’t even slept with anyone in an embarrassingly long time and I just -- I want to feel _you._ ”_ _

__“God,” Bruce breathes out, pressing his forehead against Jason’s and kisses him again, kisses him with a hunger that Jason can feel down to his bones. “I would very much like that, yes.”_ _

__He slides one finger into Jason as soon as he gets it slick, leans down to kiss and lick all over his chest and stomach when he slides a second one into him, fucks Jason with his fingers until Jason is leaking precome all over his belly and twisting the sheets in his fingers._ _

__“I’m good,” he says, then pulls Bruce up to kiss him again. “Please.”_ _

__He hooks his legs over Bruce’s shoulders when Bruce lifts his hips a little and rubs the head of his cock over Jason’s hole and Jason throws his head back and bites his lip when Bruce pushes inside of him._ _

__“No Jason,” Bruce says, reaching down to rub his thumb over his mouth. “Let me hear you.”_ _

__“ _God_ ,” Jason gasps out when Bruce starts to move, his body like a cage around Jason’s as he fucks into him, kissing his mouth in between thrusts and groans. _ _

__“Fuck, you feel good,” Jason says, his arms around Bruce’s neck._ _

__“You,” Bruce pants against his throat. “You feel incredible. I can’t -- I won’t last long.”_ _

__“Good,” Jason says. “Because I want you to come inside me.” He drags his tongue along Bruce’s jaw and bites at it. “I want you to fill me _up_ , Bruce.”_ _

__“God, Jason,” Bruce gasps, picks up the pace and pounds into Jason so hard the headboard bangs against the wall and all of Jason’s action figures topple over._ _

__“Fuck me,” Jason moans and reaches down to get his hand on his dick. “Harder, fuck. _Bruce_ \--”_ _

__Jason screams when he comes and Bruce just keeps pounding into him, a line of sweat running down his nose as he looks down at Jason, his eyes so fucking dark and hungry as he grabs Jason’s hips and just buries himself so deep Jason cries out and his cock twitches, spurting more come on his belly, and Bruce buries a groan in the crook of his shoulder and spills inside of him._ _

__After a few moments, Bruce pulls out carefully and rolls Jason onto his side, wraps his arm around him and presses cool kisses to the back of his neck._ _

__“I have a confession,” Jason says as Bruce strokes his side._ _

__“Mm,” Bruce says sleepily. “What’s that?”_ _

__“I think I might be sort of really into you,” Jason says and Bruce’s soft laughter tickles the back of his neck._ _

__“That’s good,” Bruce says. “Because I realized this morning that I’m in love with you and it would be pretty disappointing if you weren’t.”_ _

__“Bruce,” Jason says, squirming around so that he can face him. “You just can’t _say_ things like that.”_ _

__“Mm, but I just did,” Bruce smiles and Jason shivers, coming down with the chills again, so Bruce wraps the blankets back around him, pulls them up to his neck. “Get some sleep, Jay.”_ _

__“Kay,” Jason says, curling into Bruce’s side. “Stay?”_ _

__Bruce is quiet for so long Jason worries he’s gone too far again, pushed too hard and panic starts to bubble up inside of him until --_ _

__Bruce starts snoring._ _

__Jason just smiles and wraps his arms around him and passes out._ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__“I want a new dog,” Damian demands week later at the breakfast table. Jason’s feeding Ace a piece of bacon while Alfred looks on disapprovingly and Bruce stares into his coffee like it’s done him a great disservice._ _

__“He _stole_ that one.”_ _

__“Technically,” Jason says, scratching Ace’s ear. “He was mine first.”_ _

__Damian glares at him, then at Bruce. “I want a new _dog_ ,” he says and Bruce sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose. _ _

__After breakfast they go to the pet shop and Damian drives Dick crazy asking about every single possible detail about every dog they have until finally he stops on a dog that could be Ace’s twin considering how much they look alike, only this one is much smaller, probably the runt of the litter._ _

__“I want this one,” Damian says, pointing at it. “This one is my dog.”_ _

__“Oh god,” Dick says. “Jay, there’s two of you.”_ _

__

__: : :_ _

__

__When they get home, Damian introduces the puppy to Ace and Ace lets the puppy crawl all over him and nibble on his ears and Ace just lays there like he’s not big enough to swallow the tiny version of him whole._ _

__“Come along Titus,” Damian says. “I’ll show you to your new room.”_ _

__“Titus,” Jason says. “Shakespeare, right?”_ _

__Bruce nods, finishes his sandwich and stands up from the table and tries to call Ace to him._ _

__“Here boy,” he says, making some ridiculous sound with his mouth. “Roll over. Roll over, Ace. Play dead?”_ _

__Ace just sits there and tilts his head to the side, looks at Bruce like he’s lost his damn mind._ _

__Jason laughs and kneels on the floor next to him, scratches him under his neck and grins. “That’s my dog.”_ _


End file.
